Glossary

confession (fusatsu 布薩)

A Sino-Japanese transliteration of Sanskrit poṣadha, the bimonthly gathering of the sangha to recite the Pratimoksha, a list of moral precepts undertaken by individual monks at the time of ordination, and solicit the public confession of any transgressions. In China, the Pratimoksha most often used was one associated with the Four Part Vinaya (Shibun ritsu 四分律); it contained 250 moral precepts for monks. Over time, however, there were efforts in China to replace the "Hinayana" Pratimoksha with a "Mahayana" version that could be used in rites of confession. That resulted in the development of the so-called bodhisattva precepts, which are the ones used for confession in contemporary Soto Zen. →"Pratimoksha," "bodhisattva precepts."